Elbe bridge in Bad Schandau must remain closed

The Elbe bridge in Bad Schandau must remain closed due to considerable damage. However, ships should be able to pass under the structure again shortly. This was announced by the Saxon State Office for Road Construction and Transport. In addition, planning for a new construction is already underway.

According to the current status of the investigations, the bridge is stable as long as it is not under load - in other words, as long as no traffic drives over the bridge. The responsible test engineer is therefore aiming to clear it for shipping traffic on the Elbe below the bridge.

Closed for safety reasons

The bridge was unexpectedly closed on November 7 for safety reasons. This was preceded by a special inspection following the partial collapse of Dresden's Carola Bridge. The special inspection had revealed an acute need for action for the bridge in the course of the Bundesstraße 172 in Bad Schandau. Like the Carola Bridge, the structure is made of prestressed concrete.

The overpass over the Elbe has been completely closed since then - for cars, buses, pedestrian and cycle traffic and also for ambulances.

The bridge has been undergoing closer inspection since the end of November. "The initial results of the investigation and the already known signs of damage confirm the necessity and correctness of closing the bridge," said the state office. A decision on the future of the structure will not be made until next year: The investigations are expected to last until June 2025.

Planning for temporary bridge and new construction underway

Planning for a temporary bridge and a new construction to replace the damaged structure is now underway. The temporary structure is intended to relieve the region as quickly as possible - the traffic situation has been tense since the closure. The nearest Elbe bridge is around 20 kilometers away in Pirna.

The temporary bridge is also intended as a prerequisite for a new construction at a later date, the state office announced. "Although the final expert results are still pending, it is foreseeable that a new replacement for the Elbe bridge will be necessary in the medium term. Planning for the new construction has therefore already begun, parallel to the ongoing assessment."